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Hi!
Thanks for jumping into the class last night- you and Fix were great!
You have a fun and busy autumn ahead!
>Unfortunately I won’t be able to train during that time, but my friend (Astrid) will be doing some training while I’m gone and she’s good!>
Feel free to send Astrid the homework from this class 🙂
>So I tried the rear cross game again and I think it went better but I did feed from my hand again (oops) which I do need to stop. Fix has a really nice natural look at me and heeling which I do want to cultivate eventually, >
Yes, tossing the treat when doing prop (and eventually jump) stuff will help him differentiate between the agility stuff and heeling. He also watches your arm/hand position: when you arm is bent, he reads that as a heel-ish cue and looks at you. When you arm is more relaxed and at your side, he looks ahead more.
The session on this in your backyard went well! You can use a ‘get it’ marker for the cookie throw when you want him to move ahead of you – the more you throw, the less he will look at you 🙂
For the rear crosses: when he was successful at :36 and :51, it was because you were visible on the new side before he got to the prop. Yay!
On the other side, you were still visible on the original side (:14 & :26) when he was hitting the prop, so he turned the original way. Starting further back and getting across the line sooner will get the rear crosses more consistently.
The tunnel session went really well! He was happy to drive through it to the manners minder, and I bet he would also love to drive through it to the flirt pole reward 🙂 The different angles were not hard for him at all. So that means you can add in the threadle side, where he starts from between you and the tunnel (and has to turn away from you to get into the tunnel).
>So I probably worked too long but we were having fun and he kept going.>
I don’t think this was too long! It was less than 2 minutes total, and he was fast & happy throughout. You can add in your running too, so both of you are charging to the tunnel 🙂
>I can bring the tunnel on my trip but I don’t think I can bring the tunnel bags>
You can try 2 water jugs and a bungee as tunnel bags! I have used that in the past with my little dogs 🙂
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
>I’m hesitant to attach a verbal to a behavior that she’s not doing at least 80-90% of the time. >
It can wait to be added, or you can add it when you are doing easier reps that are more of a ‘sure thing’.
>Would you use for forward focus cue followed by the wrap verbal? She really doesn’t know either yet.>
Yes, eventually. You can start with one at a time, to avoid verbal ‘clutter’ as she is learning. For the game that involves the specific hand cue to look forward (fold it in), you can use the ‘gaze’ cue. And for something like turn and burn where we aren’t specifically cueing forward focus, you can add the wrap cue.
The lap turns looked great in both directions – pretty perfect mechanics, timing, and response from her. Yay! You can revisit the baby level if you want to try it with an empty hand (throw the reward from the other hand) but you can also add that to the advanced level (she is ready for the advanced level with the prop).
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
>I’m teaching Ikaika two separate behaviors right now – station and platform. >
These are two useful behaviors to have! And it sounds like you are using two different objects for them, yes?
>Platform – what we use for SL – he gets on platform, and we have practiced a fair amount of lead outs. Platform always predicts it precedes a game – so no relaxation.>
Great! It is good to work that concept using a platform because of the clear boundaries.
> I have not done catch before to release behind, but I have trained my other dog to go to a toy behind her.
>The catch marker is more of a ‘I am throwing the reward back to you’. They don’t have to catch it and it doesn’t always end up behind the dog (depends on the quality of my throw haha). But it builds specific contextual reinforcement: the dog gets paid a LOT while I am further and further away.
Working the stay games without the platform in small easy pieces will both bring in the arousal state he will need a stay in (the tug-sit-tug game is perfect for that) and also helps to fade the platform. The hardest part of using a platform is fading the platform 🙂
Looking at the video: Fun session! His commitment to the barrel is looking strong! I couldn’t hear if you were using wrap verbals or not – if not, I think his commitment is strong enough that you can add the wrap verbal as you send him to the barrel.
At this stage, we are going to get you doing the FC and running the other way earlier and earlier. Two suggestions for that:
When you send him to the barrel, try not to step out to the side with the opposite foot – it delays the FC and countermotion, making you visible for too long on the exit side of the barrel. What I mean by that is when you are sending him from your right side, keep your left leg right next to your right leg, rather than stepping to the side (and vice versa on the other side :))
Also, to be sure you are starting the FC progressively earlier and earlier, use a leash as a line on the ground to mark where he gets to for you to start the FC. And after every successful rep or two, move it a couple of inches towards the entry side of the barrel, so you will be doing the FC earlier each time you move the line on the ground. Without the line, we humans get a little inconsistent with when we leave, so the line keeps us moving things along systematically.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
>It was working well until it started sliding!>
Haha yes, she inadvertently added distance by pushing is backwards LOL but overall I think that prop will work!! Only one suggestion: rotate it 90 degrees so she fits on it fully without scrunching up (and maybe put it on a yoga mat so it doesn’t slide).
On the flat – she was giving some good shuffles backwards then stopping. So she is definitely getting the idea! I think the prop you used will result in being able to get more steps backwards pretty quickly (and then we can get one that moves, as a teeter foundation).
>If only she would wag less🤣>
Never! She is the cutest, happiest little creature!
Great job here!
Tracy
Yay, I am glad you got outside in the daylight! And those motorcycle noises were weird and hard for sure! They sound loud on the video, I can only imagine what they sounded like in real life. He recovered nicely, though, with the help of tugging. The noises were still happening but he got back into the game. Plus the birds were LOUD – he did a great job ignoring them too 🙂 Lots of distractions for his brain to process 🙂 but a really good session!
Just one suggestion: As you add more distance, you can wait a moment before releasing him. Get to your lead out spot, get your hand in position to point to the jump… then wait so he has a few seconds to process it (and maybe even look at the jump. If you arrive in position and release immediately, he might not be ready and that can lead to errors (like at 2:30 and 3:38 and 6:11, where he wasn’t quite ready for the release).
And it would be fun to get him to look at the jump before the release – that way you will know if he will take it or not. You can build value for that by putting the toy or lotus ball on the landing side – and when he looks forward to it, release him to take the jump. The hand cue will eventually be the cue to look at the jump, followed by the verbal release. That forward focus to the jump will also let you begin to move him further back from the jump, and add even more lateral distance by moving your position further away from the jump.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
Poor Brighton, I hope his tummy feels better today! And poor you, sorry to hear about having a cold. Colds suck – they make us feel icky but aren’t a good reason to just hang out on the couch all day and eat snacks LOL
Dublin did great finding the line to the backside – and you were able to move over to be running the line to the center of the bar on the first side! Great job keeping your arms out of the picture and emphasizing connection. And also click/treat for you, for dropping the reward in on the landing side. He had questions when you changed sides, but that was more about trying to get into the tunnel after the start wing, I think, than it was about the backside 🙂 You can keep working on getting him to commit to the backside as you get further and further across the bar.
The countermotion game was very easy for him too – he seemed perfectly happy to let you get past the exit wing then cue him to jump the bar. You can cue that countermtion exit with the dog-side arm: at 4:36, you cued it with your right arm crossing your body. That works, but it will slow down your runnng because there is extra twisting. So you can replace that wih swinging the dog-side arm back to point at the landing spot as you move forward. As he learns the skill more and more, you probably won’t even need an arm cue 🙂
You can begin to combine these skills: you can cue the backside as you move along a parallel line to the center of the bar, then keep going and do the countermotion exit. The reward can still be thrown to the landing side, like you were doing here.
>one thing I noticed from watching my seminar videos. I think I was afraid to do a blind cross on that landing side of the one jump. I kept wanting to do a front to have eye contact. So that was just me being a handler that’s nervous. >
That is relatable 🙂 Both of your dogs are big and it takes a lot of trust to completely turn your back on them. But your positions were good so you were in no danger of being hit – just remember to stay out of the ‘death zone’ (where they need to land) and it will get easier and easier to do the blinds 🙂
Great job!
Tracy
Hi!
Welcome back! I hope you had a great weekend! It sounds like the dogs had a fun weekend too 🙂
>The high pitched whine is Ms. Sprite expressing her displeasure at being left in the kitchen.>
Poor girlie 🙂 I am sure she got plenty of fun and games after that.
I think the session here went GREAT! It was hard, I could see the steam coming out of her ears a little… but not too hard! She did the left turns with no problem and the toy was exciting without being too hard to ignore.
That last rep was a BIG one (:54). She was staring at the toy then very clearly looked at the cone. Super! That seemed to be the moment when she really understood the challenge.
One thing to consider is adding a verbal to this: when she is more reliably looking at the cone, you can do everything the same except just before you add the hand cue, you can say a verbal (something like “look”). That will be useful for bigger lead outs on course eventually. You will know she is ready for the verbal when she looks at the cone pretty quickly when you point your hand to it.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
The moving target made a big difference and we got to see his power. Yay! He was sorting things out really well – there is a difference for the better between the first and last rep on this session, even though those were the same distance. Super! What was the distance between jumps 1 and 2 here? We can play with setting that first distance with 6 inches or even a foot more. He looked like with added power he needed a touch more room between the jumps.
When you revisit this, you can move jump 3 away in 6 foot increments rather than in 3 foot increments to add more challenge 🙂
Great job!
Tracy
Hi!
I think he likes mission transition – he was starting without you! Ha! You might have done too many GO reps at the beginning and he was tired/slower by the time you tried the wraps. That makes it hard to judge the timing – the first two wraps were a little late (he was a little wide) then he was not really running anymore, even on the go reps. Be sure to stay connected on the wrap reps – he might have been questioning because he couldn’t see the connection as well on those. So you can structure the session differently: if you get one great go rep, the next rep can be a wrap rep. And alternate pretty frequently, then be finished after maybe 4 reps or so total. As a dude with a brachy face, toggling the length of training sessions is probably something we will always do when there is a lot of running involved 🙂
The tunnel threadles are going well!
You can go very directly to the tunnel entry like you did at :31 – that helps support his line to the tunnel entry.> We had some weird “I must cut behind you moments on one side. I’m sure it was cause by my body language, but I can’t quite figure it out,>
That was happening as your trying to flip him away with the threadle arm – I think he was seeing a change in connection that read like a blind cross as you looked forward/shoulders rotated, plus it was happening near the other wing so he was looking at this wing (1:15, 1:19 for example) as if asking “do you want me to go to it?”
When you did not go anywhere near the other wing and stayed more connected (like at 1:39 and 1:49, and when you were on the other side), he didn’t consider cutting behind you.>The game really kept his interest because he didn’t have to run so we got a lot of reps in.>
Right! The cues didn’t rely on him needing to sprint, so it was easier to regulate the heat and get more reps in.
Great job here!
Tracy
Yay! I bet that is because it fits your palm better, so she doesn’t think of it as a foot target at all? Either way – super!!! It will be perfect for tonight!
T
Hi!
> In the meantime I tried to back down a bit on the movement PLANKAROBIX and used a small wobble board and rocker board. She wouldn’t touch them. They are now lava. >
Alrighty! Take out all of the movement, bring them into a new place, and use SUPER high value rewards: mind blowing cookies!
> So in put them in there living room and the other dogs thought that was the greatest! FOMO finally won out and Rory is putting her feet on them again. She didn’t even want to touch the Versaplank!>
You can do a bit of social learning on this by gathering the other dogs around, and everyone gets treats for walking around on the various planks. But definitely take out the movement/noise for now, so you can rebuild the confidence.
The foot target offering might be ablut the angle: you can hold it higher, above nose level, so she has to pop up with her nose to bop it. The lower target might be mistaken for the cues for the other tricks, plus it is pretty big so she might think it is some sort of foot trick target. A smaller target that fits in your palm might be best! You were also rewarding earllier – be sure to reward before she hits with her foot because even on the nose touch mments she would touch with a nose then follow through with a foot. It is a fun training puzzle!
Nice work here 🙂
Tracy
Hi!
>. Still battling heat, and tried a noon session (so full sun). Showing you two different versions of puppy. First video – after he sprinted out to the field (it’s probably 1/8 of a mile) and he loaded onto his platform and waited for me to arrive. Clever puppy but keep some in the tank. Second video is after a splash in the water tank. Much different puppy:)>
This makes total sense and is totally normal – his brain has to process ALL the things bombarding it at all times, including heat and heat-related internal processes. I am sure his brain was devoting precious regulatory bandwidth to that and not prioritizing the prop or tugging. Then when he was not as hot post-water-dip and also probably stimulated by the water: the brain was able to devote more bandwidth to the game because it didn’t have to devote bandwidth to staying cool. Also, the game had simpler mechanics for him. The prop game has some footwork mechanics for him and in my experience when puppy brains are processing a lot, mechanics usually get a little reduced 🙂
No worries though – having his brain process things while doing simple behavior is GREAT because the brain will learn how to prioritize mechanics and doing the prop at speed over regulating the heat. This takes a bit of time for learning and physical maturity, but it is still a super useful session! He was hitting the prop really well. There was a rear cross attempt or two in there – you can start a lot further from the prop so he can get ahead of you while you move forward, which gives you more time to get to the new side before he gets to the prop. Teaching his brain to do this while a little hot is good to do, as long as he doesn’t get too hot 🙂 Or if you want to do something more complex and want him more amped up: wet him down before you play if it is hot out.
We are adding on the handling game tonight! He is ready for when we add on it, based on how easy it was for him here. Yay!
And you are making strong progress with figuring out reward strategies – he did well with food and toys here, and the sessions were short, fast, and FUN! YAY!
Tracy
Hi!
The barrel wraps are going really well! You can start to do the FC & run away sooner and sooner on both sides. You will definitely want to put a line on the ground, so you don’t fall into the habit of leaving at the exact same time every time LOL! The line will give you a helpful visual.
> The send to the prop degenerated into crazy leap fest!>
She knew you were up to something LOL For the rear crosses – start each session with a lot of driving forward on the parallel path (not with RCs) so she stops looking at you and is charging to the prop. Then sometimes throw in moving through the rear cross. Then go back to regular straight line parallel path reps. That will keep her driving forward and not watching you or leaping up.
For the backing up – apologies to your back! Keeping your hands low helps – be sure to let her offer – I think you were tossing the treats before she actually offered any movement backwards so she was just waiting at your hands. I think adding a destination will really clarify things for her: have a big low mat that she can fit on. Start with her standing with all 4 feet on it, then lure her front feet off just a tiny bit – then reward her for stepping her front feet back onto the mat. When she can do that a few times, you can lure her front and back feet off… then reward her for stepping back onto it. I think the destination will help her offer more backing up instead of locking onto the magic cookie hands 🙂
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
> I took Fix to the agility barn and he was pretty darn distracted>
It is good to put visiting the agility barn in your rotation for training 🙂 This is where you can use the pattern games from the resilience track! The pattern game and high value food can help get engagement in any environment. What kind of treats were you using?
He was able to play with the toy at the beginning of the turn and burn video and that is great! You were a little too far from the wing to start the reps, especially because it is a new object for him. Get right up next to it, so it is easy for him to go around and not think about cutting in front of it.
Rather than change sides, you can gradually work the leash around so you do the FC earlier and earlier on the same side. And as you do the FC – run away to the sides (like towards the dog walk here when he started on your right, for example)
>. And at one point he did go off and got his nose glued to the turf. So that’s when I put him away. >
He might have needed a bit of a break in there – running and tugging takes a lot out of the pups especially in a new place, so you can do 2 reps then give him a break.
Looking at the foot target:
> As I was doing this I wasn’t sure if I should be pointing with my hand and foot or not>
If you are working on the parallel path game, no – you don’t need to point with your hand or foot.
Note how he did MUCH better when he was on your right side. Two reasons for this, I believe:
– there is not as much value for engaging with you on your right side as this is on your left side.
– your right arm was relaxed and at your side. When he was on your left, the arm position almost looked like a heel cue – so relax that arm and let it swing a bit 🙂One other thing on this one as you build distance: no need for the clicker anymore and no more feeding from your hand, because those cause him to look up at you. Instead, you can mark the prop hits with a ‘get it’ marker then throw the reward 🙂
For the rear crosses – you started with him on your left and your arm in ‘pay attention to me’ position so he was not driving ahead to the prop (he was loking at you). You did a bit of sending and that helped him go to the prop, but made the rear cross info really late. So to jump start this, do a bunch of quick reps of parallel path where you start right next to him and he drives ahead of you to the prop (no pointing or anything, just moving forward). Then when he is driving ahead, you can cut behind him before he gets to the prop and that will create the rear cross. You can start further from the prop because that will give you more time to get him driving ahead.
When you did the sends & countermotion at the end – he did well! Yay! Add the ready dance to get engagement and get him jazzed up before you send him, to get him to move more explosively to the prop.
The blind cross/decel/pivot went really well! Be sure to maintain connection to his eyes as you pivot – when you were too quick and lost connection, he thought it was a blind cross and changed sides. Throwing the lotus ball worked well!
You have a busy few weeks coming up – FUN!! Keep me posted on how he does in the ring and how he does with his baby agility games too 🙂
Nice work here!
Tracy
